One of the least back-slapping presidents in recent memory may have finally found a way to bond with lawmakers — by treating them to the most exclusive upgrade in air travel. Since his party took brutal losses in the November elections, President Barack Obama has invited nearly 20 members of Congress to fly with him on Air Force One to state visits in India and Saudi Arabia, to Tennessee for the announcement of his free community college initiative, and to Nevada to promote his latest sweeping moves on immigration. Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander used last month’s flight to his home...

Republicans hate Obama. They hate him so much that they’ve lost all perspective. In the red mist that falls over their eyes when thinking about the President of the United States, they are now advocating the near-total destruction of the executive branch if it means Barack Obama may be inconvenienced for the next two years – and hinder the government’s functionality for the rest of time. They think that’s a fair trade. In the screeching hissy fit the GOP is throwing over Obama’s actions on immigration – just the latest in a long line of perceived slights that conservatives have...

As President Obama embarks Thursday on a three-day Democratic fundraising trip to California, the White House adamantly refuses to to disclose the cost of presidential political travel or how it calculates reimbursements to the government, CBS News said. “As in other administrations, we follow all rules and regulations to ensure that the DNC or other relevant political committee pays what is required for the president to travel to political events,” White House spokesman Eric Schultz said.

Aboard Air Force One En Route Princeton, an Indiana event. U.S. foreign policy and international engagement. A full transcript will be available on the White House website. * * * * Q: Do you have the week-ahead? MR. EARNEST: I do have the week-ahead. Thank you for reminding me. Let me come through it here, and then we’ll all go put our seatbelts on. On Sunday, the President will deliver remarks at the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial Dedication Ceremony in Washington, D.C. On Monday, the President will attend a DNC roundtable in Washington, D.C. On Tuesday, the President...

The president spent over $7.3 million on just three trips in 2013, including $2.1 million to appear on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” in August, according to new flight documents provided by the Air Force to a public watchdog group.

In the past two weeks, President Obama has twice interrupted vacation and fundraising trips to take presidential planes to Washington for a brief period, only to turn around and fly back to his earlier location — once after just a few hours in the White House. Why the peripatetic travel schedule? Well, there was a wedding and a bachelor party involved — and an expensive mix of socializing, work, and vacation. On Thursday, the White House announced Obama would travel to Westchester, N.Y., on Friday to attend a Democratic fundraiser. The president would then travel on to Newport, R.I., later...

The president spent over $7.3 million on just three trips in 2013, including $2.1 million to appear on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” in August, according to new flight documents provided by the Air Force to a public watchdog group. Judicial Watch told Secrets that the sky-high jet travel costs for the first family's 2012-2013 Christmas vacation in Hawaii, their beach vacation on Martha's Vineyard last summer and President Obama's brief trip to California in August totalled $7,396,531.20. The Air Force said it costs $228,288 an hour to fly Air Force One, a massive $48,535 jump from the last...

President Obama boarded Air Force One this morning together with the 949-page, $956 billion farm bill, which he plans to sign at the Michigan State University on Friday. The president was accompanied by White House press secretary Jay Carney, Senior Advisors Dan Pfeiffer and Valerie Jarrett.

Federal officials at the General Services Administration are set to hawk an extraordinary item this week: a plane that once served as Air Force One. The plane flew every president from Ford to George W., VPs and VIPs -- and it can be yours for as little as $50,000.

President Obama on Sunday defended his trip to Burma, insisting that the visit Monday is “not an endorsement” of the nation’s long-repressive leadership but rather an acknowledgment that the country is making progress toward reform. “I don’t think anybody is under any illusion that Burma has arrived, that they’re where they need to be,” Obama said at a joint news conference with Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to begin his three-country Asia trip. President Obama arrived in Thailand on Sunday on his first foreign trip since winning a second term. His visit is designed to expand the U.S. economic and...

Air Force One Aborts Landing, Second Try Successful By CNN September 26, 2012 President Barack Obama exits Air Force One in Ohio Wednesday after an initial landing attempt was aborted. (CNN) -- Air Force One, flying President Barack Obama to a campaign event, aborted an initial landing attempt in Ohio on Wednesday due to weather conditions. The jumbo jet experienced turbulence on approach to Toledo and was within sight of the runway when the pilot pulled the plane up and circled the airport, according to reporters on board. "Air Force One, missed approach," the pilot announced to air traffic controllers,...

It was reported on Sunday that Obama was so broken up after touring the devastation caused by the Colorado wildfires that he promptly hopped aboard Air Force One and made an 18-minute conference call to his big donors asking for cash that was described as “pleading” and “a tad worried.” Daily Beast columnist Lloyd Grove, who obtained the audio tape from an Obama donor, went on to refer to the call as “rambling[s]”… from “a dog-tired idealist.” Almost a year ago today, Obama was in hot water for videotaping a campaign commercial in the White House Map Room begging for...

Here's a headline you likely never expected to see at the perilously liberal Huffington Post: "Obama Begs Donors: Send More $$$." The sub-headline below the picture was just as shocking: "Phones Donors From Air Force One... Call Caught On Tape... Issues Warning: GOP Will 'Run Congress And The White House.'" The link directed readers to a Daily Beast article titled, "President Obama Asks Campaign Donors to Send Him More Money." Author Lloyd Grove teased, "President Obama sounded weary and maybe a tad worried late Friday during a rambling conference call with campaign donors whom he repeatedly begged to send moneyâ€”and...

Rocker Jon Bon Jovi hitched a ride aboard Air Force One on Monday, zipping up to New York City to perform at a gala fundraiser for President Barack Obama — one of three campaign events to scoop up cash for the Democrat's reelection.

President Barack Obama on Thursday firmly rejected any criticism that his worldwide travel on Air Force One or his family's vacations have left him out of touch with Americans' struggles, saying flying aboard the famed official plane is "not my choice." "The fact of the matter is, I think if you look at my track record, I'm raising a family here. When we travel, we got to travel through Secret Service, and Air Force One, that's not my choice. I think most folks understand how hard I work and how hard this administration is working on behalf of the American...

The U.S. Air Force is pulling nine cargo aircraft from military operations to support President Barrack Obama’s stepped-up visits to campaign events. The five medium-capacity C-130s and four heavyweight C-17s will be used to ferry security vehicles, armored limousines and communications gear into cities ahead of Obama’s campaign appearances. In the months before November, the president is expected to fly into multiple cities per week, and speak at multiple sites per day. On Mar. 8, for example, the president will fly to Richmond, and then drive over to a Rolls-Royce aircraft-parts factory. That evening, he’ll fly down to Houston, Texas....

he average American could buy a house for the amount of money it takes to run Air Force One every hour. The U.S. military has provided an updated estimate on that cost, first published by a taxpayer watchdog group and confirmed by FoxNews.com, and the number is staggering -- $181,757 per hour. That's the price tag for shuttling around President Obama, who, as it turns out, has spent more days abroad in his first two years than any other president. Estimates over the years based on government reports and independent number-crunching have always reflected a steep cost for presidential travel,...

An Airbus A310 formerly used by the German Chancellor has started a new life as an airliner…in Iran. Just days after the publication of a report detailing Iran’s nuclear ambitions and subsequent calls from nations around the world—including Germany—for stricter trade sanctions, the former Luftwaffe Airbus A310-304 designated “Theodor Heuss” (10-22) was flown from Kiev to Tehran for use by Mahan Air, Spiegel has confirmed. Several months earlier, in May, the German government announced it was selling the 22-year-old aircraft, as it had been made redundant by a former Lufthansa Airbus A340-300 specially refurbished for Chancellor Angela Merkel and her...

Nearly 48 years after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, fresh audio evidence from that fateful day has surfaced. The evidence comes in the form of the original reel-to-reel Air Force One radio recording, containing conversations between officials on the plane, the White House situation room, and others. The original tape was long thought to be lost or destroyed. The tape contains never-before-heard conversations between the presidential aircraft and the White House and immediately after the assassination of President Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963. It was held privately for years by President Kennedy’s military aide at the time, Chester...

Barack Obama is rarely at the White House. He prefers to attempt to govern the USA from his flying fortress, Air Force One. Today he is in Cannes, France to meet with the political glittery of the G 20. He feels at home in Europe. His popularity is higher in Europe. They like his plan for socialized medicine in Europe. They like his bank bailouts in Europe. This is all understandable, since his expressed desire is to make American "more like Europe." What he likes about the dysfunctional allies we have in Europe is hard to understand. They have had...

A group of several dozen “Occupy Las Vegas” protesters camping on Clark County land located under the final approach to Runway 19 at McCarran International Airport today narrowly missed being injured when a 50 lb. slab of “blue ice” reportedly landed within feet of their tents. According to witnesses, the slab fell to earth seconds after Air Force One passed overhead while landing.

Reuters correspondent Bohan confirms the Presidents of all 3 Unions flew free on AF1 on the taxpayer dime with Obama to his detroit speech. He doesnt even hide his backers now. I'm just disgusted that he gets to use our money this way. Its obvious he has done a deal with unions and this jobs plan is going to be so pro-union its unbelievable.

Responding to dozens of requests from the public, the Defense Department has released 146 more photos from the infamous Air Force One flyover that struck fear in thousands of unsuspecting New Yorkers in April. The photos are posted right on the Pentagon's Website, defense officials said today. The Pentagon also released a heavily redacted flight manifest. The April 27 photo-op caused quite a fright in Lower Manhattan and New Jersey, as many people who had lived through the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks thought the city was again under siege. Workers poured out of office buildings as the planes buzzed the...

Proposed House cuts to the Executive Office of the President's (EOP) budget will hurt administration efforts to cut the deficit, the White House argues. The Obama administration made the argument in comments on H.R. 2434, the 2012 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act. That bill could be on the House floor as early as next week, and would decrease funding for the EOP from $705 million to $640 million. "The level of resources provided in the bill would significantly impact the EOP's role in assisting the president in carrying out his constitutional duties as head of the executive branch,...

Air Force One is quickly becoming President Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign-bus. Next week, one of the two presidential Boeing 747s is scheduled to carry the president down to North Carolina and then to Florida, both of which are must-wins for his campaign. The Florida visit was announced today, and followed yesterday’s announcement by the White House that the President will fly to Durham, N.C., on June 13 to meet with his Jobs and Competitiveness Council at Cree Inc., a company that is developing new-generation lights. Today’s announcement revealed the aircraft will next fly to Miami International Airport and depart the...

Barack Obama has been forced to leave Ireland early due to fears Airforce One could be grounded by a new volcanic ash cloud blowing down from Iceland. - A White House spokesman confirmed that concerns over the ash cloud from the Grimsvötn volcano forced the presidential entourage to make a swifter than expected exit from the Republic. He had been expected to stop off Tuesday morning at Glasnevin cemetery en route to the airport to pay homage at the crypt of Daniel O'Connell, in an acknowledgement of the 19th century Irish nationalist leader's role in opposing the slave trade.

Last year Obama flew in Air Force One 172 times, almost every other day. White House officials have been telling reporters in recent days that the Democrat doesn't intend to hang around the White House quite so much in 2011. They explain he wants to get out more around the country because, as everyone knows, that midterm election shellacking on Nov. 2 had nothing to do with his healthcare bill, over-spending or other policies, and everything to do with Obama's not adequately explaining himself to his countrymen and women... At an Air Force-estimated cost of $181,757 per flight hour (not...

SEATTLE (AFP) – Two F-15 fighter jets were scrambled after a plane flew into restricted airspace near where President Barack Obama's Air Force One was parked in Seattle, US authorities said. Air space over Seattle had been partially closed as Obama visited the west-coast city as part of a cross-country tour. The NORAD air command said the F-15s from the Oregon Air National Guard were scrambled "in response to a Temporary Flight Restriction violation in the vicinity of Seattle."

What do principles matter if you get to fly on Air Force One with President Obama? Senators Ben Nelson and Mary Landrieu needed millions of dollars to throw out their principles. Congressman Dennis Kucinich of Ohio only needed a joy ride. I hope the guy at least got to meet the pilot and take home a pair of tiny wings for his jacket. Kucinich has vehemently attacked Obamacare since it first appeared to have no universal coverage. The Congressman has passionately pursued universal, single-payer health care since he’s been in office. It is his big issues (besides being a complete...

Air Force One took off from suburban Maryland today at 11:13 a.m. and landed 48 minutes later in Cleveland. For Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) -- who says he plans to vote no on the president's health-care bill -- it must have felt like a much longer flight. Obama invited Kucinich and undecided Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) to the ultimate pressure cooker as he tries to nail down a majority for his top domestic priority. What was said at 35,000 feet is anyone's guess, and Kucinich is -- for once -- not talking. The president talked one on one with Kucinich...

HELP ********* HELP********* HELP********* HELP********* HELP WE GOT THIS LETTER FROM THE FOIA OFFICER, AND NEED YOUR HELP. IF THE INFORMATION IS IMPORTANT TO YOU, PLEASE TAKE TIME TO SEND AN EMAIL TO TSGT OCAMPO AT ANDREWS AFB AND LET HIM KNOW YOU HAVE NO CONNECTION TO THE SITE, BUT DESIRE THE INFORMATION SOUGHT. HELP TODAY. HIS EMAIL ADDRESS IS ; "744 CS/SCOKP FOIA Manager" <89CS.SCSAR@afncr.af.mil> THE CASE INFO (SUBJECT LINE) IS: ALL AF1 ACTIVITY CASE # 10-00635

What do you expect? There's so much s#@t going on in the White House they probably didn't notice! Did the First Dog Leave a Number Two on Air Force One? Washington Wire- WSJ October 7, 2009 The mystery begins in a Pittsburgh bar where several high-flying airline types met last month. The group swapped stories over drinks when three people present let loose with a good tale. Bo, the presidential puppy, recently left a present on the presidential jet, they said, and a flight attendant had nearly stepped in it. A White House press official was certain—the scoop on the...

The mystery begins in a Pittsburgh bar where several high-flying airline types met last month. The group swapped stories over drinks when three people present let loose with a good tale. Bo, the presidential puppy, recently left a present on the presidential jet, they said, and a flight attendant had nearly stepped in it. Associated Press Bo, the Obama family dog, walks away from Air Force One Aug. 30, 2009, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., upon the Obamas’ arrival from a vacation in Martha’s Vineyard. “You can imagine the horror on board when they discovered what it had done,”...

Responding to dozens of requests from the public, the Defense Department has released 146 more photos from the infamous Air Force One flyover that struck fear in thousands of unsuspecting New Yorkers in April. The photos are posted right on the Pentagon's Website, defense officials said today. The Pentagon also released a heavily redacted flight manifest. The April 27 photo-op caused quite a fright in Lower Manhattan and New Jersey, as many people who had lived through the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks thought the city was again under siege. Workers poured out of office buildings as the planes buzzed the...

The heads of government in London for the G-20 summit are discussing serious and weighty issues, which in time will be duly reported on, but right now the British press is entranced by the sheer size of President Obama's traveling entourage. And no wonder. Obama arrived with 500 staff in tow, including 200 Secret Service agents, a team of six doctors, the White House chef and kitchen staff with the president's own food and water. And, according to the Evening Standard, he also came with "35 vehicles in all, four speech writers and 12 teleprompters." For sure, our president is...

As President Barack Obama flies Monday to Chicago for a midday speech on health-care reform, the round trip on Air Force One will run about $236,000, according to government estimates of the operating costs for one of the top symbols, and perks, of the presidency. But that does not include such expenses as Secret Service protection, motorcades and helicopter transports. After landing at O'Hare International Airport, Obama is scheduled to spend about 2 1/2 hours here. To avoid snarling traffic on the Kennedy Expressway, he likely will be taken from the airport by helicopter to a location near the Hyatt...

Louis Caldera, the former White House Military Office chief who quit last month after approving that bizarre Air Force One photo op over Manhattan that frightened countless New Yorkers, has landed a job. He'll be a senior fellow focusing on higher education and national security matters at the Center for American Progress, run by John Podesta, a co-chairman of Obama's transition team. Obama aides said at the time that the president was furious about the April 27 flyover, which included an Air Force One understudy and two F-16 military fighter aircraft flying over the Statue of Liberty and Lower Manhattan,...

em>I thought we had a serious financial crisis that required everyone to sacrifice?Yes friends, President Obama and First Lady Michelle had another of their famous "date nights" Saturday. Instead of clogging traffic in Washington, D.C. to visit a restaurant, they hopped on the Marine One helicopter to Andrews Air Force Base, jumped on Air Force One (a Gulfstream 500, not the 747) then flew up to New York City followed by TWO OTHER PLANES for staff and press (the 747 would have been cheaper). Upon landing in New York several more helicopters, limos, vans, police, military and other staff were...

Obama reverses on releasing photos As Democrats appear to be feeling the limits of national security politics, President Obama has reversed course and will object to the court-ordered release of photos depicting the abuse of detainees. An official explains, on background: Last week, the President met with his legal team and told them that he did not feel comfortable with the release of the DOD photos because he believes their release would endanger our troops, and because he believes that the national security implications of such a release have not been fully presented to the court. At the end of...

Homosexual lobbyists have successfully convinced the federal government to spend hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars on AIDS research (when people are dying or suffering from usually non-preventable diseases like pediatric cancer or neurological disorders).